Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is one of America's favourite desserts. the name derives from being made 'short', a word dating back to the 15th century, which means 'crisp form the use of fat'. In England it is synonymous with Scottish shortbread, a crisp butter-rich biscuit like pastry, but in America it is a rich pastry enclosing fruit, which became popular in the mid 1800s. The traditional shortcake is usually made with a sweetened biscuit pastry, plenty of sliced strawberries and a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients:
For the Shortcake:
500ml flour
60ml sugar
20ml baking powder
2ml salt
a small grating of nutmeg
1 egg, well beaten
90ml cold water
80-85ml milk

For the strawberries:
1 litre fresh strawberries
200ml brown sugar

To Assemble and Serve:
500ml single cream, whipped to soft peaks

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.

To prepare the strawberries, wash and hull the fruit. Slice most of the berries, leaving 8-12 whole for garnishing. Place the sliced berries in a bowl and cover with the sugar. Allow the berries to macerate for at least an hour at room temperature.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg and sift into a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with the fingertips, then add the milk and egg. Mix just until the dry ingredients are all Incorporated and the dough is moist. Turn the dough into a buttered and floured 8-9 inch round cake pan and pat into a flat disc. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. To test if it is done, insert a toothpick in the centre; if it comes out with dough attached, lower the heat to 180C and bake for another 5 minutes or so.

Remove from the pan and split horizontally with a serrated knife. Butter the cut side of both layers. Place a layer of half the prepared strawberries on one layer and drizzle over some of the fruit juices. Cover this layer with a layer of cream and add another layer of the rest of the prepared strawberries and the rest of the strawberry juices. Place the second layer of shortcake on top. Garnish with several whole berries and serve with the remaining whipped cream.